inferno

noun

in·​fer·​no in-ˈfər-(ˌ)nō 

plural infernos

: a place or a state that resembles or suggests hell

the inferno of war

also : an intense fire : conflagration

a raging inferno

Synonyms of inferno

• fire

Examples of inferno in a Sentence

By the time help arrived, the fire had grown to a raging inferno.

the intense heat of the raging inferno repeatedly drove back the firefighters

Recent Examples on the Web

One night in early March, an Iranian writer and dissident climbed to the roof of his apartment building, in Tehran, to marvel at a towering inferno that had blanketed the sky in smoke. —Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026

Carlsbad’s late first-quarter surge became an inferno in the second, with the Lancers going on a 5-0 run over the final 12 minutes of the half to take an 8-3 lead. —Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026

Between September 2024 and December 2025, enrollment in FAIR surged 43% as insurers pull back from California following a series of catastrophic wildfires, including last year’s $40 billion Los Angeles inferno. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026

Advantage Total Protection took over the fire and alarm monitoring contract for Bidwell Mansion in June 2024, about six months before the inferno that engulfed the historic structure. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian, hell, from Late Latin infernus

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

inferno

noun

in·​fer·​no in-ˈfər-nō 

plural infernos

: a place or state that resembles or suggests hell especially in great heat or raging fire

Etymology

from Italian inferno "underworld, hell," from Latin infernus (same meaning), from earlier infernus (adjective) "lying beneath, in the lower regions"